Aid for bowling in an erect position



Jan. 23, 1968 L. 8. ROOT 3,365,197

AID FOR BOWLING IN AN ERECT POSITION Filed Feb. 14, 1964 i Q INVENTOR Lloyd B. Root FIG. 4. v

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,365,197 AID FOR BQWLING IN AN ERECT PGSITION Lloyd B. Root, 370 Thompson St., North Tonawanda, N.Y. 14120 Filed Feb. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 344,897 3 (Ilaims. (Cl. 273-54) This invention relates to a novel and improved handle for bowling balls.

Bowling is a sport that is participated in by a great many people, both men and women, but due to certain conditions of the back, many persons, particularly of advanced age have been forced to give up this sport because of their inability to fiex the back and to stand the strain caused by the swinging of the comparatively heavy ball in a crouched position. Heretofore, bowling ball hanles have been made with the object of providing better gripping means of the ball but have not allowed the bowler to remain in an erect position while bowling.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an elongated bowling ball handle of sufficient length to allow the bowler to operate in an erect position.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bowling ball handle having one element within an open recess therein to receive three fingers of the bowlers hand, the fourth finger extending along the element to guide the same.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a bowling ball handle having only two release pins in contact with the ball, the rearmost release pin being attached to the handle portion and releasing first.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings wherein for purposes of illustration only the specific form of the invention is described.

FIGURE 1 is a schematic side elevational view of the present device, partially in section, showing the assembly in a locked position.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, tion at the time of release.

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view taken from the left of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view taken from the right of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

A bowling ball 10 has the recesses 11 and 12 respectively therein. The bowling ball handle assembly 13 comprises in combination a first gripping means 14 and a second gripping means 15, these gripping means being held in pivotal relationship with each other by means of the bolt 16 and being retained in an open position by the spring loading means 17.

The first gripping means comprises an elongated arm having a lower arcuate portion 19 having at its lower end a pin 18 to be received in and held loosely in recess 11 of the bowling ball 10, said arcuate lower portion 19 of the gripping means 14 being shaped to receive a portion of the circumference of the ball 10 and resilient pad 20 mounted thereon which contacts the surface of the ball to prevent the side slipping of the ball when swinging the ball. A stop 21 is located near the upper portion of the first gripping means to limit the movement of the second gripping means when the first gripping means is released. The upper portion of the gripping means 14 has a return portion 22 thereon to act as a thumb rest and to allow compression by the hand to move the first gripping means with respect to the second gripping means against the force of the spring loading means 17. The right hand of the bowler is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3,

showing the posiwhich illustrates the grip described above. Said second gripping means comprises an arm having a lower portion 25 with a pin 26 mounted in the lower end thereof to be received in recess 12 in the ball 10 and to hold this ball between the pins 18 and 26 against the resilient pad 20 when the bowling ball handle is in the compressed position, shown in FIG. 1. The upper end 27 has the generally rectangular handle portion 28 to receive at least three fingers of the bowlers hand. The fourth index finger lies along the portion 27 just below the handle portion and acts as a guide for the bowling ball handle.

It has been found that for the average man the dis tance of the handle 28 from the ball should be about 13 /2 inches to the position occupied by the fingers in holding the device. This may be varied according to the size of the user, women and children requiring a shorter bowling ball handle. The handle portion from the pivot to the handle has a length d+, at least equal to the diameter d of the ball.

Any light weight material may be used for the device of this invention, such as wood, aluminum or plastic, but wood, such as white pine is preferred.

When in use the device is placed on the ball as shown in FIG. 1 with the portion 15 towards the bowling pins with three fingers in the handle portion 28 and the index finger lying along the portion 27. The thumb compresses the two portions together so as to hold the ball between the pins 18 and 26 against the resilient pad 20 and allows the bowler to swing the ball as he approaches the foul line. At the moment of release the thumb portion 22 is allowed to act under the force of the spring loading means so as to move the first gripping means away from the second gripping means until the stop 21 on the portion 14 contacts the portion 15 as shown in FIG. 2. The pin 26 is released from the ball first and the ball then rolls oil the pin 18 giving the ball the rotation which allows the ball to hook or curve as it approaches the pin.

When the ball is gripped in the bowling ball handle, pin 18 is in line with the diameter of the ball, while pin 26 is in line with a point two inches above said diameter of the ball. This arrangement of said pins causes the bowling ball to hook.

While in the above example the best possible description of the device is given, this is for the purposes of illustration only, and the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims attached hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A bowling ball handle comprising (a) a first elongated arm, said first elongated arm having a first arcuate lower portion adapted to contact a portion of the circumference of a bowling ball and an upper thumb control element extending outwardly at an angle to said arm, said arcuate lower portion having at its lower end a first pin adapted to be received in a recess in a bowling ball,

(b) a second elongated arm pivotally connected by a pivot member to said first elongated arm, said second elongated arm having a second arcuate lower portion adapted to contact a portion of the circumference of a bowling ball adjacent to said first arcuate portion and a handle member at the upper end to receive fingers of a bowlers hand, said second arcuate lower portion having at its lower end a second pin adapted to be received in a recess in a bowling ball, the upper ends of said arm crossing each other in overlapping relationship,

(0) a tension member extending between said arms above said pivot member and biasing the upper ends of said arm members in spaced apart relationship and said lower arcuate end portions in an open ball 3 4 receiving position, said elongated arms being of suf- References Cited ficient length to allow a bowler to bowl in an erect UNITED STATES PATENTS o 't'on. p 205,094 6/1878 Hufiman 294118 2. The bowling ball handle of claim 1, wherein said arcuate lower portions of said first and second elongated 7 $6 3 arms are adapted to form a substantially complete semi 6 S 2,996,299 8/1961 Showers 27364 circle around the circumference of a bowling ball when i said thumb control element and handle element are pressed ANTON OECHSLE Primary Emmi-nan together by the thumb and fingers of a bowler.

3. The bowling ball handle of claim 1, wherein said 10 DELBERT B-LowEiExamlle" first arcuate lower portion has a resilient surface portion. G. J. MARLO, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BOWLING BALL HANDLE COMPRISING (A) A FIRST ELONGATED ARM, SAID FIRST ELONGATED ARM HAVING A FIRST ARCUATE LOWER PORTION ADAPTED TO CONTACT A PORTION OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF A BOWLING BALL AND AN UPPER THUMB CONTROL ELEMENT EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AT AN ANGLE TO SAID ARM, SAID ARCUATE LOWER PORTION HAVING AT ITS LOWER END A FIRST PIN ADAPTED TO BE RECEIVED IN A RECESS IN A BOWLING BALL, (B) A SECOND ELONGATED ARM PIVOTALLY CONNECTED BY A PIVOT MEMBER TO SAID FIRST ELONGATED ARM, SAID SECOND ELONGATED ARM HAVING A SECOND ARCUATE LOWER PORTION ADAPTED TO CONTACT A PORTION OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF A BOWLING BALL ADJACENT TO SAID FIRST ARCUATE PROTION AND A HANDLE MEMBER AT THE UPPER END TO RECEIVE FINGERS OF A BOWLER''S HAND, SAID SECOND ARCU- 